What a wonderful Dar-Ma update and she sounds so very true to character!

How nice of Dar-Ma to collect everyone's arrows! Persephone used to do the same thing for Serana, but with ice spikes...

Cool to hear she is working out so well. Have you tried the Cleric mod? Renee has been using it with Claire Voyance, it might work well with Dar-Ma. If you think she would work as a Priestess of one of the Divines.

Jo'Bashi was not happy with the second wave of hired thugs. They turned up while he was fighting the bandits at the entrance to Mzinchaleft, where he'd gone to look for dwarven metal to grind up his Smithing. It wasn't so much the extra fighting that annoyed him, but he'd left his horse a safe distance away. Not safe from hired thugs, however.

So now he has to use up one of his potions of strength to get the metal home, and spend his septims on a replacement horse.

At least each one of thugs contributed a decent pile of change to the fund.

Edit: I wonder if Dar-Ma will find any of her team trying to clear piles of rubble for her?

This post has been edited by ghastley: Oct 22 2015, 05:08 PM

Thank you, Acadian! Dar-Ma is delightful to spend time with.

SubRosa, thank you for that link. My version of Dar-Ma feels drawn to Lady Mara which is no surprise, but the Hist shrine in Ilinalta Den seems to have as much appeal. Like Lildereth, Dar-Ma feels very much of Nirn when I play her, and not so concerned with Aetherial matters as her human friends. It’s been interesting since they’re all a bit older in Skyrim and have had some time to think.

ghastley, Dar-Ma left the team outside during the rubble-clearing portion of the rebuild. I wasn’t sure if they would cause problems or actually help out. Sorry to hear about Jo’Bashi’s horse. At least the thug loot will help pay for a replacement. Mojo’s horse doesn’t have a name yet because I am already sad about the thought of her dying. She survived the trip to Markarth, so he is going to buy Vigilance to guard the horse!


Dar-Ma’s Ilinalta Den is complete! Her human friend Denelle has to be careful where she steps, as when the gang relaxes there are tails all over the place. Dar-Ma’s fungus pots are planted, and she has her flowers growing in the garden across the lake. Her vegan potion business is about to take off!

She noticed that the deathbell flower though lovely is no use to her, so she is working on a tea recipe that could negate the deathbell’s poisonous effects. She has already embraced the nightshade and concocted a tea blend in honor of our favorite Marsh Ranger, Haa Rei. It’s perfectly safe for non-Saxhleel, but she has yet to learn if the humans and elves will actually like it. (They will probably love it since it contains moon sugar and may possibly be addictive! Oops.)

Dar-Ma is making plans for her future caravan wagon. I suspect she will park it on the other side of the water, unless Jerric and Haj-Meer drink a keg of mead and decide to build her a bridge.

Just a side note, when taken in small doses nightshade is a powerful hallucinogen. So some folks have taken it for the visions. But if they god the dosage wrong, they died.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Oct 24 2015, 03:47 AM

Doesn't ingesting tiny amounts of it give you clear/youthful looking skin too? (or is that arsenic?)






This post has been edited by mALX: Oct 24 2015, 04:14 AM

I think that might be arsenic. I know women did put drops of nightshade in their eyes to dilate their pupils, and give them that big eyed anime look. That was centuries before anime was invented, but the look was popular even then!

Back in the bronze age Greek women would paint their skin white with a mix that was full of lead. Like this. They looked really cool, and doubtlessly died young due to lead poisoning. In the 17th century women used mercury to get rid of freckles.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Oct 24 2015, 05:06 PM

"My, what beautiful white skin you have!"

"Urahako burka goo boo"

"Er...never mind."









This post has been edited by mALX: Oct 24 2015, 05:30 PM

Whoa, those are incredible facts, SubRosa. Didn't know about the dilated pupils, my goodness.

Morndas, Midyear 22, 10:02 PM:
Claire and her posse are headed to Solitude now, to speak with Tullius about where to go next. Fort Kastav was a disaster. Not for Claire, but for me. When she got to Kastav, her followers rushed into the fort. I didn't think this would be a problem at first (they're pretty tough, they can handle themselves) but unfortunately, this caused a problem with scripting, I think. When Claire got in there, all the Stormies were just standing around, while Aela, Erik, and Lydia knocked them all down, one by one. Eesh. Awkward roleplay moment.

Like I said, I think some sort of script moment got missed. Later on when Claire found Hadvar, he also seemed confused. The battle had been won, the Imperial prisoners inside of Kastav had been freed, yet Hadvar was just standing around going "I think there's more of them (meaning Stormies) around here, somewhere", even though all the soldiers had already been downed.

Good thing for the console .... I think otherwise I would have had a broken quest!

This post has been edited by Renee: Oct 24 2015, 06:23 PM

Yikes, those screwed-up situations are disappointing. Glad that you could sort it out with some console magic.

Jerric, Darnand, and Lildereth had a dragon battle at dawn on the south shores of Lake Ilinalta. They’re making their way to Mzinchaleft and then Riften collecting various lost items for friends. I suspect that they will stop at Lakeview Manor for a visit and some fresh baked goods and then swing through Helgen and over the hills rather than going back to Whiterun first and then taking the road around past Valtheim Towers.

The dragon was an Ancient fire-Shouting one and Jerric was wearing what he had slept in on the grass by the lake, so it was pretty scary. Afterward while Jerric was doing a welfare check on the neighborhood chickens, he made an interesting discovery about the nature of Hert, the Half-Moon mill operator. He is not sure what to do about this information. There is a lot of bloody meat in the area including a raw rabbit meal on a stump. This makes him think that Hert has her bloodlust under control. He did check his exposed parts for bites (after he had healed himself from the dragon, but that did not occur to him) and cast a Cure Disease spell on himself and everyone else as a precaution, even though it seemed that she did not feast on Nord while he slept out in the open last night.

His buddies Otto and Les who run the nearby smithy and general trader (mod) were not bothered by the news. Jerric is going to let this stew for a while. Maybe Serana will have some advice. He’s not going to mention it to Valdi Sun-Storm of the thirsty Dawnguard axe.

Jerric has given purpose to some of Skyrim’s underutilized real estate lately. Honeyside is newly acquired and furnished as a Blades safe house and base of operations for Knight Sister Iona. Vlindrel Hall is an Arcane University Center for Dwemer Studies facility under the management of battlemage Argis the Bulwark. Strategically placed Windstad Manor serves as an outpost for the Blades under Knight Brother Valdimar. Jerric wonders if there is a connection between the Valdimar of Ghost Sea Station and the Valdemar of legend. Perhaps someday he’ll catch Valdimar in his mead and ask him.

What sort of lost items are they looking for?

Wow I just UESP'd Honeyside. That looks like a nice place to live

They are retrieving Wylandriah’s research materials and Mjoll’s lost sword Grimsever. I suppose Wylandriah’s stuff is not so much lost as left behind, since she told Jerric where to find everything. Jerric flirts indiscriminately so he ends up with a log full of fetch quests. He does not mind at all, since there’s always lots of trouble to get into on the way.

I like Honeyside a lot. It’s compact and cozy if a bit damp downstairs with a nice garden outside. I think that the garden in Jerric’s world is possibly a little extra lush thanks to JK’s Skyrim mod. It reminds him of his Ma’s walled gardens in Kvatch. Iona the Housecarl takes up a lot of space in there, though, so when I’ve had a character who wants to live in Honeyside they usually find another home for her. I’m pretty sure Jensa inducted her into the Blades in at least one of her games, and someone moved her to one of the Hearthfire houses as steward. And Allek the Thief took her on a road trip and murdered her, then told Marcurio that she was visiting her mother.

Also Jerric related here is a picture of the gang leaving Whiterun, and here Jerric checks on the Lakeview vegetables. He has not thought about it, but he has his Ma’s way with growing things. He’s planted a garden behind Breezehome and added some small, manageable flower beds around Anise’s cabin (mods). In Oblivion he always had his pockets full of flax seed to help his magicka problem, and I imagine him scratching them into the dirt along the roadsides as he walked with the caravan in his pre-crisis guard days.

Goodness! That’s a lot of rambling. I had a late night last night. When I’m tired I’m incapable of brevity.

Renee, good luck to Claire as she pursues the civil war quest line. Glad you got that glitch at Fort Kastov sorted out.

Grits, what a fabulous update on Jerric and Co! One feature I very much like about AFT is 'Dismiss but hang out here'. It allows the finding of homes for all kinds of followers that might otherwise be lonely. In Buffy's game, Erik hangs out in Jorvaskr, livin' the dream. Same with Goldir so he doesn't pine away forever in Hilgrund's Tomb. Similarly, Jordis now works at Fort Dawnguard with plenty of company so she's not echoing around by herself in Proudspire. And Erandur is now a Cleric of Mara also working for the Dawnguard. Illia is in the castle at Riften as assistant court mage to the drifty Wylandriah. . . you get the general idea.

That wasn't rambling, Grits, that's called sharing. Fun to read, so no worries.


Oh wow, I didn't realize this command makes NPCs go in so many directions. That is rather neat.

Renee, the 'Dismiss but remain here' has limitations. It does not override their 'normal' home. For example, if Buffy grabbed Erik from Jorvaskr for an adventure then dismissed him normally, he'd go back to Rorikstead just like normal. To return him to Jorvaskr, she has to escort him there, then use the 'Dismiss but remain here' command again. The good news is that they really do make themselves at home in their 'Dismiss but remain here' location - relaxing, eating, sleeping, wandering around, etc.

The command can also be helpful when traveling with multiple companions using AFT. Let's say that Buffy wants Jordis to stay outside a dungeon guarding the horses and Jenassa to come inside and help clear the dungeon. She can use the 'Dismiss but remain here' command on Jordis outside, then go in with Jensassa. The advantage of having Jordis 'dismissed' is that Buffy's AFT tweak commands will now only apply to Jenassa. So if Jenassa gets stuck for example, Buffy can 'summon' her but Jordis will stay put since she is 'dismissed'. If that makes sense. . . lol.

Aw, thanks Renee. It’s been a while since I spent time with this bunch. I am loving it.

Acadian, I love hearing about Buffy’s world. What a marvelous idea to help some friends find less isolated circumstances. I’ll have to steal be inspired by that! I didn’t think to use the Hang Out Here command to let someone stay outside without being yanked into the middle of things later. Thank you for that tip, and thank you very much from Lildereth!


Project Find Your New Home may start with Marcurio. In Jerric’s world the Bee and Barb is overcrowded with drunks who apparently don’t like Imperial mages. Marcurio is always sitting by himself with his arms crossed. The crew delivered Wylandriah’s materials and then planned to spend the night at the Barb before heading to Mzinchaleft in the morning. They sort of forgot to go there on the last trip. Could have something to do with the pit stop in Whiterun.

Anyway while Jerric was buying the meat and mead and wondering where the elf had disappeared to, Darnand and Marcurio expanded the Mzinchaleft excursion to include Avanchnzel and Arkngthamz. Darnand suggested that they bring their findings to the Center for Dwemer Studies in Markarth. I suspect that Marcurio will want to stay there for a while.

I’m surprised that the two mages can tolerate each other. Marcurio runs his mouth a lot, but I suppose that Darnand is often thinking the same thing. Could be trouble. No wonder Lil wants to stay outside.

They are presently standing at the entrance to “one of the ‘A’ ones,” according to Jerric. It’s the one near Largashbur. Lildereth is with them. She does not care about steam and Dwemer metal. She plans to spend the day in the sun with the horses.

It was a good idea to bring Marcurio. He has already made an excited comment about Dwarven ruins. Jerric is chuckling to himself. He plans to give Marcurio a lot of metal to carry.

Darnand and Marcurio together! That conjures up some frightening images! Hanging out with Calcelmo is a great idea. We like him a lot and there's certainly plenty of dwemer stuff there to study. I bet Marcurio will like it there. I just hope Jerric can pull Darnand away from there.

In fact, Calcelmo is about all that Buffy does like about Markarth. She went into the Silver Blood Inn one time. Never again. Now when she's in Markarth, she and Superian sleep either at the stable or in Calcelmo's area within the keep.

Darnand and Mecrutio look like two peas in a pod in that pic. I remember when Darnand was Mecrutio! I guess Mecrutio is stocking up on carbs in that pic so he has the energy to run his mouth later!

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Oct 29 2015, 03:59 PM

Acadian, even Jerric finds the Silver Blood Inn to be an uneasy place. He likes to hang out in Moth’s quarters and Bothela’s shop when he visits Markarth. Crotchety Calcelmo is another regular stop. He likes to give the old fetcher someone besides his nephew to snap at, plus Aicantar always sounds like he could stand to hear a friendly word. I’m sure they enjoy the company of their petite sister elf when Buffy visits.

SubRosa, Marcurio gives me fond memories of the times when he was Darnand! The two of them together is a new thing even after all of this time. They definitely keep Jerric’s magicka bank full. Luckily he has a high tolerance for being electrocuted.

Lil has a low tolerance for destruction mages, however, including Jerric when the lads keep his tank full and he can unleash his frosty fury all over the damn place. She delicately disengaged herself after they spent the night in an abandoned prison to get out of a storm. Watching her walk away just about broke Jerric’s resolve, but he knows that the Breton and the Imperial have a short life expectancy in Dwemer ruins without a shield up front. He tripped a trap in the last place that just about took his life even though he was wearing his best steel plate. The lads in their robes with no mage armor up would have been meat piles on the floor.

Jerric was in fine form throughout the last adventure. Marcurio and Darnand insisted on picking up every artifact they found since they were interested in different things. Marcurio is a Dwemer culture nerd while Darnand is fascinated by everything related to automaton control and power. So of course they were all overloaded within minutes. Jerric gave Marcurio all of the pots, urns, pans, cutlery, cups, and dishes to carry. He was loaded down like a peddler but kept insisting that he is an apprenticed wizard. What became of his apprentice, no one knows. For Jerric that never got old, but Darnand seemed to be too busy juggling his gyros, gears, and soul gems to note the humor. Eventually Jerric took pity and gave Marcurio a Charmed Necklace. Still the fellas had to leave a treasure trove behind. Good thing they didn’t find any cool swords. There would have been a fight if Jerric had dropped historically significant hunks of metal in favor of one modern but pointy and awesome one.

He would have kept all of the cogs in any case. They are handy for keeping the tent flaps down in windy weather.